


Love Conquers All

by CrownedVenus



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: A lot of gabriel agreste angst. more than necessary, Gabriel Agreste is less of a dick but still kind of a dick, Gen, I'm gonna try my hand at this fanfictiony thing, That's all I don't have any more entertaining tags, The butterfly miraculous is literally busted, The characters do discover how important they are to each other though, There is 0 romance in this fic, oh yeah it's rated T for language, see how I like it, there's quite a bit of angst too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-03-25 06:50:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13828791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrownedVenus/pseuds/CrownedVenus
Summary: When placed in creative enough hands, the butterfly miraculous is undeniably powerful. If the hands are cruel enough, it can raze cities and burn the world. Just how much is Hawkmoth willing to sacrifice to achieve his goals?





	1. All Too Willing

**Author's Note:**

> I maintain that the butterfly miraculous is busted. I want to see it pushed to the limits. I also wanted to push Hawkmoth to his limits. We'll see how this plays out.
> 
> Erm, spoilers for season 2. Hawkmoth's identity and all that.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It begins, admittedly, with an OC. Likely not what you came here for, but if you can look past her...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I maintain that the butterfly miraculous is busted. I want to see it pushed to the limits. I also wanted to push Hawkmoth to his limits. We'll see how this plays out.
> 
> Erm, spoilers for season 2. Hawkmoth's identity and all that.

“I’ve had it, George!”

Adrien, like every other person on that lonely boulevard, turned to stare at the commotion. It was supposed to be a quiet afternoon coming home from school. This argument practically on Adrien’s front lawn? Kind of the opposite of that. Nathalie did her best to get Adrien away from the commotion, but to no avail. She contented herself with keeping a sharp hand on Adrien’s shoulder, with Adrien’s bodyguard at her side.

“Every minute of every day, you treat me like an item! Like some piece of meat!” cried the woman, whom Adrien immediately recognized as his neighbor’s secretary, Miss Weber. “I’m not your possession,” Weber said, a tad more calmly. “I’m my own person. And I quit.” Her face might have remained neutral, but her eyes flashed sharply.

“You do that and I’ll ruin your career,” snarled the man. “I’ll make sure you never work in France again.”

Weber’s nostrils flared, and so did her temper. “Then I’ll move home to Germany! I’m sick of your _shit_.” With that, she turned sharply on her heel and walked towards her car (coincidentally in Adrien’s direction), but not before her former employer (his neighbor and family friend, George Ector, Adrien realized) began to pursue her, anger in his steps.

“I won’t accept that, Christine! Return to me at once! I’m not done with you!” Ector demanded. Weber remained silent, but determinedly sped up her walk. “Christine!” She broke into a half-run.

Adrien’s bodyguard interrupted Ector’s pursuit of his secretary, while Nathalie quietly followed, something like menace in her eyes, leaving Adrien to attempt to comfort Weber.

“Let me through, you great oaf!” Ector belted. The “great oaf” didn’t move. “I’ll talk to Gabriel about this! You’ll meet the same fate as she will!” He pointer a bitter finger at Weber.

“Mr. Agreste will do no such thing,” Nathalie said coolly. “He certainly has his flaws, but he doesn’t go around abusing his status like you do.” Ector simply spluttered. Nathalie stepped forward with cold rage and scolded Ector harshly, while Adrien’s bodyguard nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

“Hey, Miss Weber. Is everything alright?” Adrien whispered amongst the commotion.

“Probably not,” she sighed. “Given the number of connections Ector has, I would be surprised if I found any secretarial work in France.”

Adrien pouted. “My father would probably hire you if he had room…”

Weber chuckled dryly. “I’ll figure it out, Adrien. After all, I’m finally free of that awful man. But thank you for your concern.” She lazily patted his head. “You know, if it weren’t for you, Adrien, I would have thought all rich people were like him.” She threw a distasteful look in the retreating Ector’s direction. Clearly, Nathalie’s wrath had worked its magic. “You’re father’s a little cold, perhaps, but he and your mother raised you right. I do have to leave now, though--!”

“You’ll call, right?” blurted a flustered Nathalie.

Christine pulled her into a tight embrace, which Nathalie duly returned. “Of course, Nathalie. You’ve been an incredible friend to me.” She turned and saluted to Adrien’s bodyguard. “Thank you for your help.” He nodded in return.

Adrien watched her get in her car and drive away. Ector watched too, prowling about a window on the second floor of his house, plotting his revenge. She wouldn’t find work in all of Europe if he had anything to say about it.

 ~~~~~

“Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!” Weber muttered as she sped down the highway. She wasn’t sure if she’d even find work in Germany. Her life could be over, all because of her little temper tantrum. She pulled over, body buzzing with dead energy and dread. At least, it felt that way, until she saw a little purple butterfly tapping at her windshield. She smiled to herself sadistically and opened her window, allowing the little bug to fly in and land on her finger.

“Hello, little one. You want to possess me? Go on. Allow me to control my fate, for once.”

It crawled up her arm and merged with her necklace.

 ~~~~~

“Possessor.”

“Hello, Hawkmoth.”

“Ah, so you’ve heard of me,” said Hawkmoth smoothly. “I heard you’ve been having trouble getting a job. Perhaps I can help you obtain the skills you need in order to work for me.”

“What is it you need me to do?”

“I grant you the power to possess all who dare to look you in the eye. You will control the bodies of others, just as Sir Ector tried to control you. In return, I only ask that you obtain the jewels of Paris’s favorite superheroes, Ladybug and Cat Noir. Are you willing to accept the offer?”

“Of course, Mr. Hawkmoth. I knew I’d find a job eventually.”

With that, the deal was made. But still...something didn’t sit right with Hawkmoth. She had been too willing a victim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Deleted Scene:  
> "You're a good kid, Adrien. Promise me you won't turn out to be like Ector." She patted Adrien's cheek lazily and got into her car.  
> "Or your father," she muttered darkly as she drove away.  
> -Cut to Hawkmoth-  
> "Fucking rude."
> 
> This is my first peek into the world of fanfiction! It's been a blast writing this so far. (I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. I know the love square is super prevalent in this fandom, but I wanted to explore some of the other relationships, ones that weren't romantic in nature. I know I talk a lot about Hawkmoth, but he's not all there is! I swear!)
> 
> Edit: Yo I posted [artwork](https://miraculouscrowne.tumblr.com/post/171523974623/chapter-1#%22) on my miraculous sideblog if anyone is interested in checking it out


	2. it was too late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things slowly get Worse

“Oh my goodness, Tikki, have you ever heard of such an awful thing?” Marinette sat at her desk, very clearly distracted from her homework.

“What’s going on, Marinette?”  
“On the news, there was a man who burned his own house down after he fired all of his servants. He and two of the firefighters who tried to rescue him died in the fire.”

“Hey, that’s around where Adrien lives, isn’t it?”

“Looks like it. We’re really lucky that the fire didn’t spread. I should have done something. As Ladybug. Maybe I could have stopped the fire…”

“What’s done is done, Marinette. If you had known, you would have gone out of your way to help. But there isn’t any point in dwelling on it.”

“I guess. But I don’t get it, Tikki. I’ve heard a few of the things that people say about him, and it sounded like he was a completely self-satisfied snob, to the point where he just sounds like an awful person. A freak suicide from someone like that is a lot less likely than foul play.”

“Marinette, it isn’t fair to judge. You really don’t know if he was suffering some kind of mental illness or dealing with grief. People do and say a lot of things to cover up how they’re hurting inside.”

“That doesn’t make it right, Tikki…” Marinette sighed. Her head was swimming with thoughts of the fire….oh, if that fire had spread, and hurt Adrien, or Mr. Agreste, or the other innocent people on that block...she wouldn’t have forgiven herself. “Although you’re probably right. I shouldn’t worry about it.”

“Marinette, you’re forgetting something.”

“I am?”  
Tikki exasperatedly nudged Marinette’s digital clock, which currently read 18:13. It took Marinette a second. She closed her eyes.

“I’m late for patrol with Cat Noir, aren’t I.”

Tikki nodded silently. This was par for the course.

“Transform me, Tikki.”

~~~~~

“Cat Noir! I’m sorry I’m late!”  
“It’s not a problem, m’lady,” he said, waving her sins away. Still, he looked downcast. Ladybug took a seat on the rooftop beside him.

“Is something wrong, kitten?” she said softly.

“I’m a little shaken, is all.” He snuck her a sad, slightly twisted smile. “Did you hear about that man on the news? The one who burned his house down?”

“Yeah, actually. George Ector, right? The rich guy from England.” Cat Noir nodded sharply. 

“Poor man,” she continued. “...and those two innocent firefighters. I wish I had done something.”

“I knew him. Friend of the family,” Cat Noir coughed.

There was a heavy pause, and Ladybug turned away. “I’m...sorry for your loss,” she muttered lamely.

“It’s just...I don’t really get it. I didn’t know him that well, and he wasn’t exactly the greatest guy, but it was such a weird thing to do.”

Ladybug bit her tongue. Tikki’s advice earlier was on the money. Cat Noir couldn’t possibly know the man well enough to judge him fairly, could he? But before she could chide him with Tikki’s words, he continued.

“Ladybug, I saw him a few days before it happened, and that kind of thing is really out of character for him.”

She let out a strangled “Really?”

“He’s an angry guy most of the time. He’s more into revenge than anything.” Ladybug stared at him in confusion. Cat Noir turned back to her. “I ran into his secretary that day, too -- right after she quit working for him. From what I heard, he must have harassed her for years. He threatened to ruin her life. And he definitely had the connections to go through with it, so I don’t think dying was really a part of his plan.”

Ladybug chewed on her lip, processing all this. “ I’m surprised there was no Akuma involved. It sounds like Hawkmoth missed his chance…unless maybe the secretary had done something?”

Cat shook his head. “She was in Germany long before the fire. I don’t think Hawkmoth can reach that far, and he’s never killed. Even if he could…”

Ladybug nodded. “We would have seen something by now. Hawkmoth’s Akumas are kind of...loud.” She giggled awkwardly.

“Yeah,” He croaked. For a few moments, they were silent.

“Hey, Kitten?”

“Yes, Bugaboo?”

“We should probably start our patrol,” she said quietly, standing up.

Cat noir stood up quickly and shook himself out of his confusion. “Of course, my lady.” He added an obligatory wink and gestured grandly to the night. “Ladies first.”

“What a gentleman,” she huffed, stepping off the ledge and careening into the darkness. Cat Noir followed not long after.

~~~~~

“A patrol at 18:30 every night?”

“Yes, monsieur. That appears to be the case.”

Hawkmoth pulled back from his conversation with Weber, impressed. Even if she hadn’t obtained either miraculous yet, she had gleaned more important information about Ladybug and Cat Noir than all his villains over the past four months combined. He was half inclined to hire her unakumatized.

This, however, did very little to quell his unease. Ector’s death was quite the shock to both himself and poor Adrien. He had been untransformed at the time, and thankfully out of the house, but he regretted not keeping a tighter leash on Weber. He usually made it a point not to kill or maim Parisians. He just wanted the miraculous.

Once he learned how easily Weber had crossed the border (while her physical body slumbered in a car on the side of a German highway) and brutally murdered Ector, he decided to put restrictions on her powers. Now, her victims had to be physically wounded (nonlethally) in addition to eye contact. Much to Hawkmoth’s dismay, Weber began carrying a knife.

For the first time, Hawkmoth questioned the scope of the power of the butterfly miraculous. If he truly wanted, he could wreak true destruction upon Paris simply by finding someone willing to take the deal. There were always plenty of cruel people willing to kill on a whim. But he was a man with principles. Not a killer.

In the meantime, he resolved to keep a closer eye on Weber. She might be deadly, but she was too effective to lose as an ally. Hawkmoth could take no chances.

“Monsieur?”

Hawkmoth jolted out of his reverie. “Forgive me, Possessor. You’ve done excellently thus far. This information will serve you well in your pursuit of their miraculouses,” he said, masking his dread best he could. “However, I must ask that you do not make another move tonight. I’m sure the both of us are rather tired. Please excuse me for the evening…”

“Of course. Good night, Hawkmoth.”

Gabriel Agreste returned nervously to his bed, finally feeling the draining effects of the transformation. Tonight...tonight would be a restless night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh! We actually get to see some main characters interacting! How nice.
> 
> Hopefully the pace of the story is picking up. This is why I'm here, y'know. To practice this stuff.
> 
> [Hope you enjoyed :^) ]


	3. stop messing with what's hurting you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How much do they really know?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's dangerous to tell some secrets, but it's dangerous to hide others. If you don't know the whole story, you'll never know how wrong you are.

Something was up with Nino that day. Adrien couldn’t figure out what it was, and it really unsettled him. Usually, Nino was an open book.

He was fidgety, on edge, and (oddly enough) wearing tinted sunglasses. When he looked at Adrien, he might smile, but immediately afterward he would purse his lips disapprovingly. He kept biting his finger until it bled, too. Something was uncomfortably, undoubtedly wrong.

“Nino, honey, this isn’t like you.” It was Alya who spoke first, as Adrien shifted himself to look at her. She tapped an impatient pencil on her desk. Nino stiffened.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You’re acting like you have a huge stick up your ass. Where’s the chill? You haven’t said anything to anyone all morning. You gotta tell us what’s up.”

Nino’s mouth fell open in a moment of confusion, but he quickly closed it and adjusted his sunglasses.

“Hey...why do you keep messing with that cut?” This time, Marinette spoke, clearly concerned. “We’re your friends, Nino. You can tell us if something’s wrong.” Adrien looked back at her gratefully.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Nino mumbled. Adrien decided it was high time he spoke. 

“I don’t think that’s true, Nino. I haven’t heard a single ‘bro’ out of you all day. Marinette and Alya are right -- you need to tell us if something’s bothering you--!”

“I grew out of it!” Nino snarled suddenly. The three friends were all visibly taken aback. So, it seemed, was Nino, for he continued apologetically. “The bro thing. I guess I grew out of it.” Adrien, Alya, and Marinette exchanged looks of mild disbelief.

“I’m sorry,” Nino sighed. “I’ve been having a terrible day -- not much sleep last night. Everything kinda hurts, and my head is killing me. I don’t think I can handle much of anything. Not too much light--” He flicked his sunglasses.

“Oh yeah, I was gonna ask about those…”Alya said quietly.

“--not too much sound.” He finished, looking pointedly at Alya. “It’s been rough, and I’m sorry if I hurt any of you because I’ve been too harsh or something. But I… I really would appreciate it if you guys left me alone for now.”

“Of course Nino. We understand.” Adrien almost clapped his friend on the back but thought better of it.

“Thanks for telling us, Nino.”Alya smiled warmly. Marinette looked cautious but convinced.

“No problem.” His voice sounded rough, but he returned to his chemistry worksheet nonetheless. But as he turned away, Adrien saw for a moment, something that made his heart leap into his throat. Behind the sunglasses, Nino’s eyes were not their usual brown, but instead a vivid red.  
A thousand thoughts raced through Adrien’s mind over what he hoped was merely a trick of the light. There should be a simple explanation, right? Nino’s lack of sleep? Maybe colored contacts…

Oh god, he couldn’t be an Akuma, could he? No. If he were, he would have wreaked all hell on the school. After all, Hawkmoth seemed to favor the flashier Akumas. Adrien realized he was staring and turned away, hoping Nino hadn’t noticed.

It didn’t make any godforsaken sense, but as was his instinct in these situations, Adrien kept quiet. He would mention it to Ladybug tonight during patrol. Maybe she would tell him he was being silly and jumping to conclusions. Actually, he desperately hoped this was the case. Anything...anything to assuage his fears.

~~~~~

“You already knew he was Cat Noir?”

“I’ve had my suspicions about Adrien for a while now. I never had the chance to see him actually doing anything particularly incriminating, but I always thought he was able to slip out of the house too easily. Thank you for the confirmation, by the way.”

Weber, currently in the body of a five-year-old, narrowed her eyes.

“So why shouldn’t I seize his miraculous when I see him at school tomorrow? If I possess the girl who is currently babysitting me, it would be simple. She’s so unsuspecting, and Adrien already noticed something wrong with his friend Nino. Isn’t it best to end this quickly?”

Is he seriously still friends with that boy? “I would prefer to avoid that until Ladybug is neutralized, and I don’t want to arouse suspicion just yet. Besides, I could take his ring in his sleep.”

“You know Adrien that well?”

Hawkmoth blanched. He had said too much.

“Manon, what movie do you want to watch?” Rang the voice of her babysitter from the kitchen.

“Um, I don’t really mind! Whatever you want!” Weber yelled back. It seemed that the popcorn she was preparing for the both of them was near-done. She returned to her conversation with Hawkmoth, albeit much more quietly this time. “I suppose we can discuss that later, when I’m not under this girl’s eye.”

“Ack!” cried the kitchen voice, followed by a heavy thump.

“Are you okay?” said Weber.

“I’m fine! The popcorn is fine! Nothing spilled, we’re good!”

“Right…In any case, Monsieur, I have an idea that could get you the earrings this evening, if you don’t interfere. If I possess this girl, I could attack Ladybug during her patrol, perhaps even possess her. She’s friends with Adrien at school. I don’t think Cat Noir would ever expect anything out of her.”

“It might work, Miss Weber, but I still intend on keeping a close eye on you. After the stunt you pulled with Ector, I really don’t want you hurting too many people. I’m not even remotely comfortable with you being in the body of a five-year-old.”

“To be fair, this was an accident. She scraped her knee on the way here and I made eye contact.”

“Mhm. Should I temper your powers further?”

“No!” she whispered. “You’ve restrained me enough. Frankly, I’d like to be able to do _without_ your rule about blood.”

“I won’t revoke that. I warned you _not_ to possess a child like Mr. Lahiffe, and you did anyway. You haven’t proven I can trust you.”

“I confirmed a suspicion for you! I’m nothing if not effective!”

“Manon? Who are you talking to?” Her babysitter peered into the doorway, but not before Hawkmoth severed the connection and Weber quickly snatched the nearest toy she could find. A Ladybug doll.

“I’m Hawkmoth! I’ll get her miraculous tonight!” She said, pointing dramatically at the toy, pleading internally that her babysitter would accept the lie. Something odd flashed across her babysitter’s face, but then she offered her a twisted smile and set down a bowl of popcorn, several macarons, and a copy of Beauty and the Beast.

“Don’t get too cocky, Manon. Ladybug always has something up her sleeve. Oh, before I forget, Alya’s coming to babysit you for a little bit, at 18. My parents asked me to pick up groceries.”

“Okay.” While her babysitter busied herself with playing the movie, Weber clutched the Ladybug doll as if it were the most precious thing in the world. “I’ll show you, Hawkmoth. I’ll have the earrings.” She muttered.

“See that it is done, Miss Weber.” Hawkmoth waved away the connection, anxious.

~~~~~

Cat Noir arrived early at the usual spot, thoughts of Nino, of Ladybug, of the prolonged absence of any Akumas swirling through his head. He hugged his knees to his chest. What would Ladybug’s excuse for lateness be this time? Chemistry project? Commitment to her parents? That ‘other boy’?

A hot pang of jealousy crawled across his back, followed by guilt. _Put it out of your mind, Adrien. Be an adult. You owe Ladybug that._

“Hey, I’m actually here on time!”

Really? That was out of character.

“Actually, you’re twelve seconds late,” He said wryly, checking a mock watch. “This won’t do, Bugaboo.”

She side eyed him, but snorted all the same. His heart lightened.

“You know, I almost got stuck babysitting again. I actually called my cover ahead of time though, so it’s okay.”

Cat smiled softly and stood up.

“Should we get going, then?” Ladybug asked brightly.

“Actually, m'Ladybug, I have something to tell you first. I’m not sure if it’s serious, but better safe than sorry, right?” Cat Noir fidgeted with his tail.

“Oh, sure, go ahead,” said Ladybug, leaning casually on the railing. Cat Noir took a deep breath.

“A--a close friend of mine…” _Nino, he almost said Nino, damn it_ “...is acting really weird.”

“No signs of Akumatization?”

“He’s not causing any mayhem or anything. It’s possible he’s a servant of one, now that I think about it. You know, like with Kung Food, how the Mayor was under his control?”  
“Yeah, I gotcha. So, weird how, exactly?”

“He was acting really sharp. Like, he’s usually a laid-back kind of guy, but he was acting...well, as one of my friends put it, like he had a stick up his ass.”

Ladybug’s eyes narrowed. He continued, faster this time.

“The more important thing is, I saw he had red eyes. He kept trying to hide them, he kept hurting myself, and I was hoping it was just a trick of the light because he did say he hadn’t got enough sleep the night before and… I’ve been hoping you could tell me it was nothing.”

“I’ve seen a couple of people like that, actually.”

“Huh?!”

“I had a friend today that was doing the same thing, although he might have actually just been tired. I didn’t see a change in his eye color… but before him, there were weird cases like that. There’s a librarian I know...I saw a few odd policemen… Oh god.” Fear flashed across Ladybug’s face. “The girl I babysit. She had red eyes. I didn’t think about it, but I thought she was too well behaved… that’s creepy.”

“You think that’s why there haven’t been any Akumas for two weeks?”

Ladybug tensed. “I thought it was too good to be true. We usually would have fought three by now.” Ladybug scoffed. “I can’t believe I was naïve enough to hope Hawkmoth had moved on.”

She paused, but Cat Noir bristled. An invisible Akuma. On whose powers they did not yet understand. His stomach churned with unease at the idea of one evading them so effectively for so long. It was either that or it was the two red pinpricks he saw in the distance, creeping ever closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are slowly, very slowly picking up, I hope. Chapter length is too, I think.
> 
> I should make note of this thing's theoretical placement in the timeline. This is a little bit after Glaciator, say, a month or so. Adrien is a tad more hurt than in canon, but he's mostly moved on. (Not enough for him to see Marinette as more than a friend though :))
> 
> Ack, the characters are all so serious! I want to put more light-heartedness in the story, but there's just no room for cat puns sometimes. Paw-sitively a shame.
> 
> This is as far as I have typed up, so I probably won't update until Sophie kicks me. Hey, Sophie, this is a casual reminder for you to kick me.


	4. stop making me regret this

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I wholeheartedly abuse Hawkmoth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sophie, this one's for you.

“Ladybug…” he said in a low voice. “This girl you babysit...there’s no chance she figured out your identity?”

Ladybug straightened suddenly as if she had been struck by lightning. Her eyes widened as she thought back.

“No…” she said slowly. “I’m too unlike myself.”

“You and I both know that’s not a valid reason for her not to suspect you.”

Ladybug sighed, visibly shaken. “There wasn’t ever a situation where she could have seen my transformation. I stopped transforming at my house after a friend of mine nearly caught Ladybug leaving my balcony. I had to make up a story about why she was there on the spot! Anyway, I had to start being really careful. She’s really nosy when it comes to either of us.” Ladybug offered him a smile, in hopes that he would be assured that her identity was safe.

Cat Noir gulped. He hadn’t been nearly that careful over the past week. He’d always transformed in his own room and _oh god Nino had caught him talking to his kwami NINO HAD ALMOST DEFINITELY CAUGHT HIM TALKING TO HIS KWAMI AND OH GOD WHY DID HE DO SOMETHING SO RECKLESS OH GOD HE FUCKED UP HE FUCKED UP HAWKMOTH KNOWS HAWKMOTH DEFINITELY KNOWS_

“Ladybug...I messed up.”

“Huh?” She looked fearful. Shame prickled the skin of his lower back.

“This friend I mentioned… he might have caught me in the locker room talking to my kwami. He didn’t mention anything, so I thought I was safe.” He pawed the ground nervously with his foot. "If he really is being controlled by an akuma...it’s possible Hawkmoth knows who I am. I’ve been nothing but reckless. I’m so sorry.”

Ladybug looked shocked, but quickly regained her composure. “He’s probably waiting to figure out my identity because the moment I know you’ve been found out and your miraculous has been taken, I’ll be forced to go on the defensive.”

Cat Noir nodded. “You have to be even more careful now. I don’t know when Hawkmoth will come for me, but I’ll be ready. If he does take my miraculous, I’ll try to contact you.”

He relaxed for a moment before he realized that those pinpricks in the distance were most definitely eyes. They were much closer than they were before. His stomach churned. He stepped forward to lean on the railing next to Ladybug.

“Ladybug, turn around, but like, really casually. I think we’re being followed.” She did.

“I don’t see anything. What are you seeing?”

“I see a shadowy figure with red eyes. It’s on the rooftop to your left, but it’s not a good idea to look at it. Every time I do, I feel like I’m being stabbed.”

“It’s best that it doesn’t know that we’ve realized it’s there,” she spoke quietly into the darkness. “So the akuma knows where we start our patrol. We shouldn’t meet here tomorrow. And we need to take this thing down as soon as possible.”

“Absolutely. You got a plan?”

“Yeah!” She said rather loudly. Fuck, those eyes were only one rooftop away. He stared at her in confusion. She stepped away from the railing and grabbed Cat by the shoulders, so she could look him in the eye. “I’ll meet you at the Louvre at 21 tomorrow evening. Sounds like the perfect place for a romantic candlelit dinner, huh?

What?

She appeared to be absentmindedly drawing on his chest. She kept talking, but his intuition told him not to concentrate on that. He closed his eyes, trying to figure out what she was tracing.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll see you then.”

It felt like a tall, thin A. His eyes flicked to the Eiffel Tower in front of him.

Ladybug was a damned genius. Chat nodded to show her he understood. She dropped her voice to a whisper and leaned in close.

“Kitten, we need to escape this mess right now. Where is the akuma?”

He stepped away from her, scanning the area. She was on the same roof as before, but she had Hawkmoth’s hallmark hovering over her face. She appeared to be arguing with him. She was distracted.

“That rooftop right there.” He pointed. “She’s distracted. I can take her in the dark, probably. I’ll knock her off the roof if we take out all these lights.” He gestured to the bright lanterns on the railing. “Will you be able to make it home in the dark?”

She nodded, calculating. “Okay, on three.” She readied her yo-yo. Cat mirrored her.

Three...two...one...she mouthed. Go.

They moved so suddenly the eyes on the roof over widened in surprise and stumbled backward.

Cat Noir extended his staff on both ends, knocking out every single light on that railing, while Ladybug smacked each one on the wall. In moments, they were enveloped by complete darkness. Ladybug jumped over the railing and swung away from the likely akuma, while Cat Noir, freshly adjusted to the night, vaulted towards it and landed silently on the rooftop where it fumbled.

It was Alya, he realized with a pang of shame, before kicking her swiftly off the rooftop. It was only a story high. She’d be fine. An akuma has increased durability, right?

_Forgive me, Alya._

He left her damning his name left and right, and cursing out Hawkmoth too. He might have rushed home, but instead, he transformed in an abandoned playground. After all, there was a chance Hawkmoth might still not know his identity. It never hurt to practice being careful.

~~~~~

Marinette walked to school, incredibly on edge and terrified for Alya. Last night, she’d fled home in a panic, only to find Manon sleeping peacefully on the sofa. This was all well and good, but Alya had disappeared entirely. At the time, she had felt betrayed, but Alya wouldn’t answer her cell. She’d called her parents, the Nino. She wasn’t anywhere to be found. Marinette couldn’t sleep out fear. What had happened to her? Was she taken by the akuma too?

After Mrs. Chamack took Manon home, she received a call from the hospital. Alya was okay, for the most part, but she’d broken her wrist and she had a bruise on her stomach. She did feel well enough to come to school that morning though. Which found Marinette to the present time, walking into the school miraculously early.

Alya sat quietly on a staircase, phone gripped tightly in hand, looking as if she had witnessed humanity’s greatest sins. Marinette sat next to her and placed her arms around her waist in a soft hug.

“Hey, Alya? Are you okay?”

With the hand that wasn’t broken, she wordlessly passed over her phone. It seemed she had been texting Nino.

Marinette read the messages. Though Alya had been checking on him and asking if he would be in school today, Nino had broken up with her, claimed she was a backstabbing bitch, and promptly blocked her. It was so cruel and unlike him. Suddenly, Alya’s pathetic disposition made sense, and it awakened a fierce and maternal rage in Marinette.

“Oh, Alya…” Marinette handed her phone back to her.

Gentle tears began to stream down her face.

“It’s not even that he broke up with me. It’s just the way he said it, it felt so awful,” she croaked. “I’m supposed to be strong. I don’t need him to be happy. So why do I feel this way?” The tears fell faster.

“I’ll kick his ass for you, Alya. I’m not sure what’s going on, but rest assured, he’ll pay.”

“Really? You?” Alya laughed softly.

Marinette pushed Alya’s hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead. “Yes, me. The next time Nino walks through that door, I’m punching him in the goddamn face. I’ll get answers.”

Her resolve seemed to strengthen a little. She wiped away her tears. “Girl, you’re such a sweetheart. Thank you.” She stood, and so did Marinette. “I kinda want to go home now, though. I need to be alone.” Alya quickly hugged her. “You’re a treasure, Marinette. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She kissed her cheek, picked up her bookbag, and left for the school’s entrance, only to bump into a spluttering Adrien. They spoke for a moment, before Adrien beckoned her outside. A few minutes later, Adrien walked back in the school, alone. He approached Marinette.

“I figured Alya needed a ride home. I’m surprised she decided to come to school today. She looked like she’d fallen off a roof. Is everything okay with her? She looked kinda sick.”

“Oh! Uh, she doesn’t remember how she got her injuries, but Nino broke up with her this morning. I-i-it was really cruel, actually.” Any other day, she might have been a tad more awkward, but she was too angry at Nino to care. Why did Adrien look so guilty?

Adrien’s eyes widened in shock. “Wh-what!? Th-that’s not like him at all!” He stammered.

“That won’t stop me from kicking his ass when I next see him. He better have answers.” Marinette muttered. Adrien sighed.

“Marinette, I think something’s wrong with Nino.” He snuck a few furtive glances around the school before continuing, quieter this time. “His eyes were bright red yesterday.”

It clicked with Marinette. Alya hadn’t been with Manon last night because she had been possessed by the akuma. Alya had been the one watching them on the rooftop that night. Alya, oh god, Alya was hurt because Cat Noir had attacked her last night. She might’ve attacked Nino again last night. Was that the meaning behind his claim of ‘Backstabbing bitch?’ Marinette’s eyes widened.

“I might be wrong, and I’ll smack Nino myself if I am, but I think he’s been possessed by an akuma.”

Marinette nodded slowly. If she and Cat Noir could defeat this thing, Nino’s and Alya’s relationship might be salvageable.

“Marinette…”Adrien looked at the floor shyly. “If I’m right, please don’t judge him too harshly.”

She offered him a small smile.

“If it’s an akuma, Ladybug and Cat Noir will definitely fix this. We’ll get our friends back together.”

Adrien took a deep breath. “I hope so.”

~~~~~

“That was unnecessary and you know it.”

“She started irking me. And, she did technically stab me last night.”

“It achieved nothing!”

“It gave me some accursed silence. What, does seeing a relationship fall apart due to unknown forces irk you in some way, Agreste?”

Hawkmoth cursed under his breath. Weber was nosy. Far too nosy.

“You failed me last night. I was promised a certain pair of earrings.”

“If you had given me the powers I asked for--”

“Given that you’ve killed three people with those particular powers, I’m not so sure I want you near my son!”

“Gabe,” said Weber in Lahiffe’s _annoying_ voice, “You’re far too sentimental for your own good. Your son’s a superhero. He’s gonna get a little banged up either way.” Nino’s body sat back in its bed, picking its fingernails with a knife.

“That nonchalance is exactly why I won’t allow you to possess people from so far away. Have you inherited the attitude of your host?” Hawkmoth’s eye twitched.

“Your son brought to my attention that I should act in character. By the way, breaking up with a girl who stabbed you is absolutely in character.”

“Why did you go back to possess this boy? That girl was already a friend of Adrien’s.”

“And fight with a sprained wrist? I’m planning on ambushing them today. I may as well use Nino so I can soften your son’s defenses.”

_Please stop calling him my son. You’re making me regret this. I’m so close, stop making me regret this._

“Can you at least take away the red eyes? They’re a goddamn giveaway.”

“I can’t do that,” Hawkmoth lied smoothly. “They’re a prerequisite of the power. There’s no such thing as an undetectable akuma.”

“I guess I’ll have to wear colored contacts. Sunglasses are too obvious at this point.”

Hawkmoth’s blood ran cold. Why was she so difficult?

“Some villain you are, getting in your own way.”

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t know what motivations you have to obtain these jewels, but they’ve made you crazy enough to take a miraculous and create supervillains. You’re going to need to set aside your son if you want to fulfill those wishes. I mean, you’ve already abandoned him enough, haven’t you?”

Silence from Gabriel.

“You are the only thing standing between yourself and your happiness, old man. I won’t kill or maim your son, you have my word. As your servant, he annoys me, but before all this I was quite fond of him.”

_I just want my family to be whole. It will be worth all this, to see Adrien happy. I can give up this miraculous and repent for my sins and it can all be over. Adrien **will** be happy again._

“I’ll play by your rules, Mr. Agreste. I’ll see you this evening with the jewels.”

Nino’s body severed the connection, leaving Gabriel Agreste alone in a dark room full of butterflies, staring blankly at a closed window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmm, so the final showdown is coming upon us. I was gonna write this thing as a oneshot, could you believe that? Bah, too much work at once. I know it's only a few (admittedly short) chapters, but I like to do stuff in between! I have art to make for this!
> 
> Weber's been an Akuma far too long. Hawkmoth's supervillains last maybe a day at most. You think being consumed by so much evil is messing with her mind?


	5. whoopsie doopsie i accidentally got possessed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I am very, very dramatic, and also not sorry. Like, at all.

Ladybug couldn’t help but smirk when Cat Noir marveled at her -- on time.

“Hello, Kitten.”

“Hello, my Lady. Ready to go meet our new friend?”

“Absolutely! I can’t wait until our little Akuma tries to ambush us. Think he’s disappointed?”

“He won’t be for much longer.” Cat Noir grinned like a wild man...a smile she hadn’t seen in a month. Ladybug had missed it. She grinned back, and motioned her partner to the edge of the tower.

“Let’s go.” She wrapped an arm around Cat Noir’s waist and jumped, swinging the two of them in the direction of the Louvre. Sure, it took half an hour to get there, (and would have taken over an hour to get there on foot,) but she had worried that any closer might have betrayed their plans. Only distance could hide you in the city of light.

When they got to the Louvre, the square wasn’t crowded (It was a Tuesday evening! Why were these people even here! The Louvre hadn’t opened at all today!) but it was dotted with enough people to make their mission confusing. Plenty of tourists, sure, but also a few unfortunate homeless people. The two stood unassumingly on the main body of the building, far from the famous glass entrance, surveying the situation.

“Hey, so what do you think? Should we go down there and look for people with red eyes?” Cat Noir said earnestly.

“I think we might be putting ourselves in danger,” she answered. “I’m sorry, kitten, I didn’t think this through. I hoped it would be empty, but it could be any of those---OOF!” She cried, the wind suddenly knocked out of her, and the ground rushing towards her suspiciously fast. People screamed and ran as Ladybug felt herself hit the pavement. Oof indeed.

“LADYBUG!” Cat screamed somewhere in the distance.

She felt hands treacherously close to her ears and wildly struggled to get her captor off, beating what she could reach with her unpinned hand.

All of a sudden, that weight was lifted, and she flipped over just in time to see Cat Noir’s staff retracting back to him, and her captor wildly flying to the opposite side, hitting the ground one, two, three times before finally sliding to a stop nine or ten meters away.

“Anyone still here needs to leave now! For your own safety!” Cat Noir bellowed. People were glad to obey. Ladybug quickly got to her feet, and so did the attacker. Cat sprinted to her side.

“The bastard still has Nino’s body,” He growled. Ladybug readied her yo-yo, the moment’s adrenaline and the memories of what happened to Alya this morning surging through her. This thing moved faster than she had ever seen Nino himself move. The man was like a turtle when it came to phys ed. Cat noir was clearly shaken.

It got up and charged wildly at them again.

“Oh no you don’t!” Ladybug yelled, and aimed her yoyo at the at the Akuma's waist. It dodged neatly, grabbed the string of the yo-yo, and pulled, deftly knocking Ladybug over. Cat Noir lunged and took a swing at it, but it avoided the blow entirely, kicking him in the back and focusing on Ladybug. She might have been knocked onto her stomach, but when the Akuma approached her, she shot a hand into the air to stop it from -- oh dear, that was a knife.

“Hey! Don’t ignore me!” Cat yelled. Ladybug struggled against Nino’s kneeling body, one hand struggling against the two holding the knife. Logically, she knew the knife couldn’t hurt her, but that didn’t stop her from a deep fear in her gut, driven by human instinct. Using her free hand to steady herself, she dragged herself into a position where she was kneeling on one knee. Nino only drove the knife towards her harder. Suddenly, she dove to the side, moving herself out of the way, only for Nino's knife to glance off the pavement.

“I said, don’t ignore me!” Cat Noir said wildly, lunging and swinging his staff like a baseball bat. Nino ducks and his knife shoots into Cat Noir’s cheek, only for it to glance off. Still, he looks surprised. Superhero or not, if you spend most of your life as a regular human, knives are scary.

“Shit!” Nino says, rolling out of the way, only to get caught by Ladybug’s yoyo around the ankle. He dropped his knife in surprise when Ladybug threw him into the great glass pyramid of the Louvre.

He stayed there, stuck, seemingly unconscious in one of the freshly broken panes.

“That was for Alya,” Ladybug muttered darkly under her breath. She then walked over to Cat Noir, offering him a hand. He took it and got to his feet. “Do you think the Akuma is in the knife?”

“We’ve got nothing to lose,” He said, panting. “But we might be in way over our heads.”

~~~~~

“You just tried to stab my son!!!!”

“Well, you aren’t making this easy! They can’t be physically wounded, Gabe! I need to possess one of them. D'you want the miraculous? You goddamn well better remove that restriction!”

“I gave you that restriction because…” Because Weber moved too fast, and could hurt Gabriel himself, or Adrien, or other innocent people, and because it prevented her from attacking people in public (unlike, let’s say, a prerequisite for physical touch.) Except it didn’t.

“Gabriel!”

No answer.

“Do you want the miraculous or not!”

Hawkmoth’s stomach churned.  
“Gabriel, they’re getting closer. If I can do it just by looking them in the eye I can get the jewels to you in no time! It’ll be painless.”

She was right. It would be painless. Steeling himself, Hawkmoth muttered the incantation that would return her powers to their original state.

“It is done. But if you step out of line, I will revoke them immediately.”

“Yeah, whatever, Gabe.” And she severed the connection.

~~~~~

“Hey, Ladybug, back up! I think he’s moving!” Cat Noir whispered.

“Up here, asshole!” And the moment Cat Noir looked at Nino, things immediately went south.

The possession went slow. Cat felt himself drawn to Nino’s red eyes, somewhat like a trance. And then he felt her enter his brain like some kind of parasite.

“Ladybug! Don’t look it in the eye! Whatever you do…” and he felt himself lose control completely. His last sight was of ladybug screaming, and dashing to the rooftops.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guess who decided to finally fucken' update after a million years! And also decided to be a dramatic fuck.
> 
> Eh, but I'm on my way to finishing this. Everything's been written down for a while, but I just. Hate typing. So much.
> 
> I'm looking forward to this thing not being on my conscience anymore.


End file.
